Features
MORE FUN AT THE MOUNT – Part 12
CONFESSIONS OF A GLOBAL GYPSY
By Dr. Chandana (Chandi) Jayawardena DPhil
President – Chandi J. Associates Inc. Consulting, Canada
Founder & Administrator – Global Hospitality Forum
Personal Connections at the Mount
My Confession 11, published with the title of ‘The Greatest Love’ last week in the Sunday Island, resulted in more than the usual number of comments on social media. I was particularly happy to receive the following message on LinkedIn, “Fantastic article. I love the ending poem of the article dedicated to “the greatest love”, your mother. So touching and reminds every reader of the warmth and leadership role of a mother. Although, today is the day dedicated to all fathers, your article covers not only the great adventures and love of the hotel, but more importantly what a key role parents play in fostering children.” This message is very special to me because of the writer. He is Mr. Sanath Ukwatte, the Chairman of the Mount Lavinia Hotel (MLH) Group.
I met Sanath for the first time in his father’s office at MLH in early 1985. His father, Mr. U. K. Edmund, was one of those humble Southerners who came to Colombo and built significant business empires in mid-20th century Ceylon. He was a visionary business icon. After running the business of the Ceylon Government Railway’s entire catering operation, he built one of the two largest breweries in Ceylon, Three Coins. He purchased MLH in the mid-1970s, and expanded the great hotel while maintaining the early 19th century architecture. In early 1985, soon after I returned to Sri Lanka after completing my MSc in International Hotel Management at the University of Surrey, UK, I received a telephone call from the veteran hotelier Prasanna Jayawardene, who was the General Manager of MLH. He wanted me to join MLH as the Deputy General Manager, and wanted me to meet the owner and his young son, who was learning his father’s business.
At the end of the interview, Mr. U. K. Edmund stated decisively in Sinhala, “You are hired. When can you start work?”. I told him that I also have interviews with John Keells, Le Meridien, Oberoi and Coral Gardens Hotel; therefore, I needed a little time to decide. At that point, Mr. Edmund told me: “OK, go to all those interviews and see what happens. We will offer you much more than any of the others!”. I finally had job offers from all five companies, accepted the offer from John Keells and became the General Manager of their two largest resort hotels – The Lodge and the Village in Habarana. Sanath kept in touch with me, and offered me the post of the General Manager of MLH in 1988. Eventually I left a good job in London to accept Sanath’s generous offer on an expatriate contract for three years. Being the General Manager of MLH, was my last job in Sri Lanka, and easily the most memorable in my 50-year career in hospitality.
A Waiter at the Hut
During the 1972/1973 tourist season, four of my batch mates from the Ceylon Hotel School (CHS) and I continued to enjoy our work at MLH. Doing our co-op (in-service) as trainee waiters, we hardly made any tips serving the fixed four course dinner menu. Soon after the dinner service, we volunteered to work at the Little Hut, the famous night club at MLH. As tips were great at the Hut, we even did a couple of extra hours, without overtime wages. We also liked the live bands that 
played there. I always treated the hospitality business the same way as show business. One day I was happy when a top musician performing at the Hut, Ishan Bahar, asked me, “With your afro hairstyle, you look like a musician, would you like to sing in a band?” After work, around midnight while walking to the bus stand, we sang the top hits of the day that were played at the Hut. Inspired by Ishan’s comments, I tried to imitate Johnny Nash, and sang very loudly, but badly:
I can see clearly now the rain is gone
I can see all obstacles in my way…
Although I could not sing well, years later, I produced a series of popular stage music shows with choreographed dance routines, set changes and special effects, at hotels and BMICH, the national conference centre of Sri Lanka. At the finale of one of those shows in 1980s, Ishan Bahar called me on stage and presented a token of appreciation, painted by him and signed by all the musicians who performed at that show. In the early 1990s, as the General Manager of MLH I convinced Ishan Bahar, to return to limelight as the special guest artiste at the Hut at prime time on Saturday nights. Thank you for the music!
After the tips
I quickly got interested in optimising my tip earning potential. More than the desire for making money, it was somewhat of a competition within myself. I started observing experienced waiters who made lots of money through tips. Most of them had good social skills and knew how to up-sell. I learnt those skills very quickly. I started recommending lobster to customers who were thinking of shrimp, Champagne to customers who were thinking of wine and fillet steak to customers who were thinking of beef stew. It worked most of the time. I also identified high spending customers and became friendly with them, while memorizing their favourite drinks and dishes. Most of the experienced full-time waiters were from villages which meant that they were not very fluent in English. That provided the trainee waiters from CHS a slight unfair advantage when promoting and up-selling products to European tourists.
Employee Relations
MLH at that time had a very colonial style hierarchy with several levels of employee meal rooms. Although we were trainee waiters, because of our CHS connection 
we were treated a little differently. For example, we were not sent to the common employee canteen in the basement for our meals. We were served our meals at a comfortable clerical staff meal room on the first floor. I was always uncomfortable with this preferential treatment. I was keen to avoid any jealousy from the full-time employees who were helping us to learn the profession. Therefore, ignoring advice from a couple of my CHS buddies, I addressed some of these senior waiters as ‘aiyya’ (elder brother), ‘uncle’ or ‘boss’. They liked that as I was showing them respect.
Tip Records
One thing I learnt quickly is that to up-sell food and beverage, one needs good product knowledge. When we were not too busy, I commenced studying the cocktail lists, wine lists and à la carte menus. I sought Chef Publis’s help in understanding some of the dishes I was not familiar with. He was always very helpful and friendly, and went into detailed explanations in Sinhala. All of these efforts made me a better waiter who earned lots of tips. Every night during my commute to home, I would sit at a back seat on the top deck of a red double decker to count my tips. When I went home, I announced my successes to my mother. I soon kept a target for each month and recorded daily tip earnings on a handwritten sheet. For my first month at MLH, I reached my target of Rs. 1,000 in tips. Considering that my salary for the same month at MLH was only around Rs. 100, my tip earnings were a lot of money at that time.
A Workers’ Strike
One afternoon when five of us arrived at the hotel for our shift, we were surprised to see most of the staff outside the hotel shouting slogans against the management. They were aggressive. Even the employees who were usually very friendly with us looked and sounded angry and unfriendly that afternoon. I realized how peer pressure can change attitudes of some people, very quickly. Owing to the support of the socialist government of Sri Lanka at that time, the left-wing trade unions controlled by the LSSP, were very strong. A union delegate ordered us to go home and said, “We will not let you go into the hotel today. Until the management changes their unfair rules, we will close MLH!”
My batch mates and I were scared, but I gathered some courage to inquire the reason for this sudden strike. The American General Manager had insisted that all staff wear Hyatt uniforms, which included trousers and shoes. In his mind, maintaining Hyatt standards, at any cost was a top priority. Unlike now, most employees coming from villages had never worn western clothes. They wore sarongs and slippers, and never in their life wore a pair of shoes. That day the lesson I learnt was that managers must balance corporate standards with practicality, while understanding human challenges.
This lesson helped me to avoid a major strike in Jamaica in late 1990s when the union there refused to wear a section of Le Meridien uniform, as it reminded them of the dark days of colonial slavery. My superiors in the corporate office of Le Meridien in Paris insisted that corporate standards must be maintained at any cost. I disagreed and was able to eventually change the corporate policy in recognition of the cultural challenge.
I told the chief union delegate in the middle of the MLH 1972 strike, “We simply cannot refrain from working today. We are students and not members of your union. If we don’t work today, most likely we will be expelled from CHS.” He disagreed. After further negotiation he asked me to come down to the employee quarters with him and meet with the union leader for a one-on-one meeting. I met a powerful leader of LSSP trade union. His name was D.G. William who later became an LSSP Senator. His commanding personality and his booming voice, made me very nervous. However, with a brave face I narrated my rationale. He listened and thought for a while, before telling the chief union delegate, “This boy has a reasonable point.”
He then ordered the delegates to let five of us to proceed to MLH to work. That was my first experience of situational leadership. That afternoon we worked very hard as there were not enough employees to serve the guests in a hotel that was full. The strike was settled just before dinner service. The management gave in. Those employees who were uncomfortable wearing trousers and shoes were allowed to continue working in sarongs and slippers.
Decades later I did an assignment for another great hotel in Sri Lanka of the same vintage as MLH, the Galle Face Hotel. My three-month long assignment there was as the Consultant to then Chairman, Mr. Cyril Gardiner. My client made the arrangement to convert the board room of the hotel as my temporary office. This board room had been re-named by Mr. Gardiner, after one of the greatest trade union leaders of the country – late D.G. William.
by Dr Gotabhya Ranasinghe
Senior Consultant Cardiologist
National Hospital Sri Lanka
When we sought a meeting with Hon Dr. Ramesh Pathirana, Minister of Health, he graciously cleared his busy schedule to accommodate us. Renowned for his attentive listening and deep understanding, Minister Pathirana is dedicated to advancing the health sector. His openness and transparency exemplify the qualities of an exemplary politician and minister.
Dr. Palitha Mahipala, the current Health Secretary, demonstrates both commendable enthusiasm and unwavering support. This combination of attributes makes him a highly compatible colleague for the esteemed Minister of Health.
Our discussion centered on a project that has been in the works for the past 30 years, one that no other minister had managed to advance.
Minister Pathirana, however, recognized the project’s significance and its potential to revolutionize care for heart patients.
The project involves the construction of a state-of-the-art facility at the premises of the National Hospital Colombo. The project’s location within the premises of the National Hospital underscores its importance and relevance to the healthcare infrastructure of the nation.
This facility will include a cardiology building and a tertiary care center, equipped with the latest technology to handle and treat all types of heart-related conditions and surgeries.
Securing funding was a major milestone for this initiative. Minister Pathirana successfully obtained approval for a $40 billion loan from the Asian Development Bank. With the funding in place, the foundation stone is scheduled to be laid in September this year, and construction will begin in January 2025.
This project guarantees a consistent and uninterrupted supply of stents and related medications for heart patients. As a result, patients will have timely access to essential medical supplies during their treatment and recovery. By securing these critical resources, the project aims to enhance patient outcomes, minimize treatment delays, and maintain the highest standards of cardiac care.
Upon its fruition, this monumental building will serve as a beacon of hope and healing, symbolizing the unwavering dedication to improving patient outcomes and fostering a healthier society.We anticipate a future marked by significant progress and positive outcomes in Sri Lanka’s cardiovascular treatment landscape within the foreseeable timeframe.
by Fr. Emmanuel Fernando, OMI
Jesuit Fr. Aloysius Pieris (affectionately called Fr. Aloy) celebrated his 90th birthday on April 9, 2024 and I, as the editor of our Oblate Journal, THE MISSIONARY OBLATE had gone to press by that time. Immediately I decided to publish an article, appreciating the untiring selfless services he continues to offer for inter-Faith dialogue, the renewal of the Catholic Church, his concern for the poor and the suffering Sri Lankan masses and to me, the present writer.
It was in 1988, when I was appointed Director of the Oblate Scholastics at Ampitiya by the then Oblate Provincial Fr. Anselm Silva, that I came to know Fr. Aloy more closely. Knowing well his expertise in matters spiritual, theological, Indological and pastoral, and with the collaborative spirit of my companion-formators, our Oblate Scholastics were sent to Tulana, the Research and Encounter Centre, Kelaniya, of which he is the Founder-Director, for ‘exposure-programmes’ on matters spiritual, biblical, theological and pastoral. Some of these dimensions according to my view and that of my companion-formators, were not available at the National Seminary, Ampitiya.
Ever since that time, our Oblate formators/ accompaniers at the Oblate Scholasticate, Ampitiya , have continued to send our Oblate Scholastics to Tulana Centre for deepening their insights and convictions regarding matters needed to serve the people in today’s context. Fr. Aloy also had tried very enthusiastically with the Oblate team headed by Frs. Oswald Firth and Clement Waidyasekara to begin a Theologate, directed by the Religious Congregations in Sri Lanka, for the contextual formation/ accompaniment of their members. It should very well be a desired goal of the Leaders / Provincials of the Religious Congregations.
Besides being a formator/accompanier at the Oblate Scholasticate, I was entrusted also with the task of editing and publishing our Oblate journal, ‘The Missionary Oblate’. To maintain the quality of the journal I continue to depend on Fr. Aloy for his thought-provoking and stimulating articles on Biblical Spirituality, Biblical Theology and Ecclesiology. I am very grateful to him for his generous assistance. Of late, his writings on renewal of the Church, initiated by Pope St. John XX111 and continued by Pope Francis through the Synodal path, published in our Oblate journal, enable our readers to focus their attention also on the needed renewal in the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka. Fr. Aloy appreciated very much the Synodal path adopted by the Jesuit Pope Francis for the renewal of the Church, rooted very much on prayerful discernment. In my Religious and presbyteral life, Fr.Aloy continues to be my spiritual animator / guide and ongoing formator / acccompanier.
Fr. Aloysius Pieris, BA Hons (Lond), LPh (SHC, India), STL (PFT, Naples), PhD (SLU/VC), ThD (Tilburg), D.Ltt (KU), has been one of the eminent Asian theologians well recognized internationally and one who has lectured and held visiting chairs in many universities both in the West and in the East. Many members of Religious Congregations from Asian countries have benefited from his lectures and guidance in the East Asian Pastoral Institute (EAPI) in Manila, Philippines. He had been a Theologian consulted by the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences for many years. During his professorship at the Gregorian University in Rome, he was called to be a member of a special group of advisers on other religions consulted by Pope Paul VI.
Fr. Aloy is the author of more than 30 books and well over 500 Research Papers. Some of his books and articles have been translated and published in several countries. Among those books, one can find the following: 1) The Genesis of an Asian Theology of Liberation (An Autobiographical Excursus on the Art of Theologising in Asia, 2) An Asian Theology of Liberation, 3) Providential Timeliness of Vatican 11 (a long-overdue halt to a scandalous millennium, 4) Give Vatican 11 a chance, 5) Leadership in the Church, 6) Relishing our faith in working for justice (Themes for study and discussion), 7) A Message meant mainly, not exclusively for Jesuits (Background information necessary for helping Francis renew the Church), 8) Lent in Lanka (Reflections and Resolutions, 9) Love meets wisdom (A Christian Experience of Buddhism, 10) Fire and Water 11) God’s Reign for God’s poor, 12) Our Unhiddden Agenda (How we Jesuits work, pray and form our men). He is also the Editor of two journals, Vagdevi, Journal of Religious Reflection and Dialogue, New Series.
Fr. Aloy has a BA in Pali and Sanskrit from the University of London and a Ph.D in Buddhist Philosophy from the University of Sri Lankan, Vidyodaya Campus. On Nov. 23, 2019, he was awarded the prestigious honorary Doctorate of Literature (D.Litt) by the Chancellor of the University of Kelaniya, the Most Venerable Welamitiyawe Dharmakirthi Sri Kusala Dhamma Thera.
Fr. Aloy continues to be a promoter of Gospel values and virtues. Justice as a constitutive dimension of love and social concern for the downtrodden masses are very much noted in his life and work. He had very much appreciated the commitment of the late Fr. Joseph (Joe) Fernando, the National Director of the Social and Economic Centre (SEDEC) for the poor.
In Sri Lanka, a few religious Congregations – the Good Shepherd Sisters, the Christian Brothers, the Marist Brothers and the Oblates – have invited him to animate their members especially during their Provincial Congresses, Chapters and International Conferences. The mainline Christian Churches also have sought his advice and followed his seminars. I, for one, regret very much, that the Sri Lankan authorities of the Catholic Church –today’s Hierarchy—- have not sought Fr.
Aloy’s expertise for the renewal of the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka and thus have not benefited from the immense store of wisdom and insight that he can offer to our local Church while the Sri Lankan bishops who governed the Catholic church in the immediate aftermath of the Second Vatican Council (Edmund Fernando OMI, Anthony de Saram, Leo Nanayakkara OSB, Frank Marcus Fernando, Paul Perera,) visited him and consulted him on many matters. Among the Tamil Bishops, Bishop Rayappu Joseph was keeping close contact with him and Bishop J. Deogupillai hosted him and his team visiting him after the horrible Black July massacre of Tamils.
Sri Lanka-Singapore Free Trade Agreement
By Gomi Senadhira
senadhiragomi@gmail.com
“You might tell fairy tales, but the progress of a country cannot be achieved through such narratives. A country cannot be developed by making false promises. The country moved backward because of the electoral promises made by political parties throughout time. We have witnessed that the ultimate result of this is the country becoming bankrupt. Unfortunately, many segments of the population have not come to realize this yet.” – President Ranil Wickremesinghe, 2024 Budget speech
Any Sri Lankan would agree with the above words of President Wickremesinghe on the false promises our politicians and officials make and the fairy tales they narrate which bankrupted this country. So, to understand this, let’s look at one such fairy tale with lots of false promises; Ranil Wickremesinghe’s greatest achievement in the area of international trade and investment promotion during the Yahapalana period, Sri Lanka-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (SLSFTA).
It is appropriate and timely to do it now as Finance Minister Wickremesinghe has just presented to parliament a bill on the National Policy on Economic Transformation which includes the establishment of an Office for International Trade and the Sri Lanka Institute of Economics and International Trade.
Was SLSFTA a “Cleverly negotiated Free Trade Agreement” as stated by the (former) Minister of Development Strategies and International Trade Malik Samarawickrama during the Parliamentary Debate on the SLSFTA in July 2018, or a colossal blunder covered up with lies, false promises, and fairy tales? After SLSFTA was signed there were a number of fairy tales published on this agreement by the Ministry of Development Strategies and International, Institute of Policy Studies, and others.
However, for this article, I would like to limit my comments to the speech by Minister Samarawickrama during the Parliamentary Debate, and the two most important areas in the agreement which were covered up with lies, fairy tales, and false promises, namely: revenue loss for Sri Lanka and Investment from Singapore. On the other important area, “Waste products dumping” I do not want to comment here as I have written extensively on the issue.
1. The revenue loss
During the Parliamentary Debate in July 2018, Minister Samarawickrama stated “…. let me reiterate that this FTA with Singapore has been very cleverly negotiated by us…. The liberalisation programme under this FTA has been carefully designed to have the least impact on domestic industry and revenue collection. We have included all revenue sensitive items in the negative list of items which will not be subject to removal of tariff. Therefore, 97.8% revenue from Customs duty is protected. Our tariff liberalisation will take place over a period of 12-15 years! In fact, the revenue earned through tariffs on goods imported from Singapore last year was Rs. 35 billion.
The revenue loss for over the next 15 years due to the FTA is only Rs. 733 million– which when annualised, on average, is just Rs. 51 million. That is just 0.14% per year! So anyone who claims the Singapore FTA causes revenue loss to the Government cannot do basic arithmetic! Mr. Speaker, in conclusion, I call on my fellow members of this House – don’t mislead the public with baseless criticism that is not grounded in facts. Don’t look at petty politics and use these issues for your own political survival.”
I was surprised to read the minister’s speech because an article published in January 2018 in “The Straits Times“, based on information released by the Singaporean Negotiators stated, “…. With the FTA, tariff savings for Singapore exports are estimated to hit $10 million annually“.
As the annual tariff savings (that is the revenue loss for Sri Lanka) calculated by the Singaporean Negotiators, Singaporean $ 10 million (Sri Lankan rupees 1,200 million in 2018) was way above the rupees’ 733 million revenue loss for 15 years estimated by the Sri Lankan negotiators, it was clear to any observer that one of the parties to the agreement had not done the basic arithmetic!
Six years later, according to a report published by “The Morning” newspaper, speaking at the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) on 7th May 2024, Mr Samarawickrama’s chief trade negotiator K.J. Weerasinghehad had admitted “…. that forecasted revenue loss for the Government of Sri Lanka through the Singapore FTA is Rs. 450 million in 2023 and Rs. 1.3 billion in 2024.”
If these numbers are correct, as tariff liberalisation under the SLSFTA has just started, we will pass Rs 2 billion very soon. Then, the question is how Sri Lanka’s trade negotiators made such a colossal blunder. Didn’t they do their basic arithmetic? If they didn’t know how to do basic arithmetic they should have at least done their basic readings. For example, the headline of the article published in The Straits Times in January 2018 was “Singapore, Sri Lanka sign FTA, annual savings of $10m expected”.
Anyway, as Sri Lanka’s chief negotiator reiterated at the COPF meeting that “…. since 99% of the tariffs in Singapore have zero rates of duty, Sri Lanka has agreed on 80% tariff liberalisation over a period of 15 years while expecting Singapore investments to address the imbalance in trade,” let’s turn towards investment.
Investment from Singapore
In July 2018, speaking during the Parliamentary Debate on the FTA this is what Minister Malik Samarawickrama stated on investment from Singapore, “Already, thanks to this FTA, in just the past two-and-a-half months since the agreement came into effect we have received a proposal from Singapore for investment amounting to $ 14.8 billion in an oil refinery for export of petroleum products. In addition, we have proposals for a steel manufacturing plant for exports ($ 1 billion investment), flour milling plant ($ 50 million), sugar refinery ($ 200 million). This adds up to more than $ 16.05 billion in the pipeline on these projects alone.
And all of these projects will create thousands of more jobs for our people. In principle approval has already been granted by the BOI and the investors are awaiting the release of land the environmental approvals to commence the project.
I request the Opposition and those with vested interests to change their narrow-minded thinking and join us to develop our country. We must always look at what is best for the whole community, not just the few who may oppose. We owe it to our people to courageously take decisions that will change their lives for the better.”
According to the media report I quoted earlier, speaking at the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) Chief Negotiator Weerasinghe has admitted that Sri Lanka was not happy with overall Singapore investments that have come in the past few years in return for the trade liberalisation under the Singapore-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement. He has added that between 2021 and 2023 the total investment from Singapore had been around $162 million!
What happened to those projects worth $16 billion negotiated, thanks to the SLSFTA, in just the two-and-a-half months after the agreement came into effect and approved by the BOI? I do not know about the steel manufacturing plant for exports ($ 1 billion investment), flour milling plant ($ 50 million) and sugar refinery ($ 200 million).
However, story of the multibillion-dollar investment in the Petroleum Refinery unfolded in a manner that would qualify it as the best fairy tale with false promises presented by our politicians and the officials, prior to 2019 elections.
Though many Sri Lankans got to know, through the media which repeatedly highlighted a plethora of issues surrounding the project and the questionable credentials of the Singaporean investor, the construction work on the Mirrijiwela Oil Refinery along with the cement factory began on the24th of March 2019 with a bang and Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and his ministers along with the foreign and local dignitaries laid the foundation stones.
That was few months before the 2019 Presidential elections. Inaugurating the construction work Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said the projects will create thousands of job opportunities in the area and surrounding districts.
The oil refinery, which was to be built over 200 acres of land, with the capacity to refine 200,000 barrels of crude oil per day, was to generate US$7 billion of exports and create 1,500 direct and 3,000 indirect jobs. The construction of the refinery was to be completed in 44 months. Four years later, in August 2023 the Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by President Ranil Wickremesinghe to cancel the agreement with the investors of the refinery as the project has not been implemented! Can they explain to the country how much money was wasted to produce that fairy tale?
It is obvious that the President, ministers, and officials had made huge blunders and had deliberately misled the public and the parliament on the revenue loss and potential investment from SLSFTA with fairy tales and false promises.
As the president himself said, a country cannot be developed by making false promises or with fairy tales and these false promises and fairy tales had bankrupted the country. “Unfortunately, many segments of the population have not come to realize this yet”.
(The writer, a specialist and an activist on trade and development issues . )
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